In this insightful documentary, filmmaker Sonali Gulati explores complex issues of globalization, capitalism and identity through a witty and personal account of her journey into India’s call centers. Gulati, herself an Indian immigrant living in the US, explores the fascinating ramifications of outsourcing telephone service jobs to India—including how native telemarketers take on Western names and accents to take calls from the US, UK and Australia.

A fresh juxtaposition of animation, archival footage, live action shots and narrative work highlight the filmmaker’s presence and reveal the performative aspects of her subjects. With fascinating observations on how call centers affect the Indian culture and economy, NALINI BY DAY, NANCY BY NIGHT raises important questions about the complicated consequences of globalization.

“Recommended...Gulati is a charming, humorous, and thoughtful guide. Her camera is as steady as her storytelling…This film would be a valuable addition to all school libraries.”Educational Media Reviews Online

“Insightful and humorous. A wonderful hybrid form that combines documentary footage with more whimsical animation and archival footage in this examination of the complex phenomenon of outsourcing jobs to India.”
Kathy Brew, Managing/Co-DirectorMargaret Mead Film and Video Festival

“Timely and telling.”Black Maria Film Festival

“Unfold[s] with wit and humor on a subject of global importance that will keep you laughing all the way home and thinking thereafter. Definitely a documentary worth watching.”
Maya KulkarniSouth Asian Women's NETwork

"A welcome addition to the cinema of globalization...explores with care and insight, the rigorous and fascinating training that hopeful call center operators in India pursue...a charming and revealing look at a cultural phenomenon we hear about but rarely see."
Tom ZanielloNorthern Kentucky University, author of "The Cinema of Globalization" (2007).

“A wonderful film…draws on personal history and economic theory to reveal the complex and surprising trajectories of globalization. Filmmaker Sonali Gulati hangs up on annoying solicitation calls, until she encounters a voice that properly pronounces her name. Her curiosity aroused, she traces the call to New Delhi, India, where day and night have been inverted to accommodate the pull of American consumer culture.”
Thomas ShevoryProfessor of Politics, Ithaca College

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